This invention relates to toy shooting games which include a shooter device and a target.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,185 and others disclose shooting game toys which include a shooter device and a target. Generally, in such toys, the shooter device resembles a weapon such as a pistol, a rifle, or other weapon shape can be aimed at a target. The shooter device typically includes an emitter that transmits a signal, such as a light beam, along a line of sight corresponding to the aiming of the device when a firing mechanism of the device such as a trigger is activated. The corresponding target includes a detector that detects the transmitted signal when the detector and the shooter device are registered along a line of sight between them. While in some toys the shooter device emits the signal, in other toys, the target emits the signal which is detected by the shooter device when the shooter device is aimed along the line of sight to the target and the shooter device's firing mechanism is activated to enable detection rather than firing. In both types of toys, upon detection, the target or the shooter device registers a "hit".
One or more persons may play with such toys, which may be used in competitive and non-competitive modes. In a competitive mode, two or more players wear or otherwise carry targets and each player accumulates points by successfully achieving hits between a shooter device carried by one player and a target worn or carried by another player. In a non-competitive mode, the target is placed on a stationary or moving object, and the player scores points by successfully achieving hits between a shooter device and a target.
Toys of the above type may have different playing modes and associated sets of rules. See, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/015,863, titled "Player Programmable, Interactive Toy for a Shooting Game" and Ser. No. 09/019,747, titled "Computer Programmable, Interactive Toy for a Shooting Game". The disclosures of these two patent applications and U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,185 are incorporated herein by reference.
There is a need for shooting game toy which has a target that provides easily recognizable status information.
The "Laser Challenge Radar Extreme" shooting toy sold by Toymax Inc., which has been commercially available for less than one year prior to the filling date of this application, incorporates the invention disclosed herein.